What you need to know about the coronavirus while planning a wedding.

How to be prepared for the potential that your wedding may be affected by Covid-19.

First of all, stay informed and don’t panic

What is Coronavirus or Covid-19

Coronavirus (COVID-19): Outbreak update in Canada

Interactive World Map tracking the COVID-19 spread in real-time

No matter where you’re located, the coronavirus is affecting people’s lives around the world. The wedding industry is being shaken as events get cancelled. But the question is, should you cancel your wedding? Before panicking and deciding to do so take a look and review the following factors

How far or how close is your wedding date?

Is it a waiting game or a take action game for you?

Follow the news and talk to your vendors:

Is your wedding dress or suit being produced and shipped from countries affected? if so ask your store if they expect delays and if there are any options available in the event that your clothing or your wedding party’s clothes won’t arrive on time or at all. ( Perhaps the production has been cancelled?) Remember that every business is being affected, so be kind when asking about your situation and your options going forward.

If you haven’t purchased your wedding attires yet, shop off the rack. Visit different stores and see what is available. Don’t lose sight, we are all in this together and yes perhaps you had a dream with a particular dress or suit colour, but make the best out of this difficult times.

Is your city still allowing big gatherings of over 100 people? Is your venue prepared to have in place extra sanitizing stations? and how many can they provide you with? should you really need them?

Is your venue closed due to Government regulations? Like you, they are also worrying. Check your already signed agreement, most wedding venues will have a rescheduling clause that may help you avoid major costs due to cancelling. I would strongly suggest postponing and not cancelling at this time.

Cancellation Policies

Make sure you review your contracts with each vendor and understand cancellation policies. If you are in early stages, ask about them and how have they change during the outbreak. Cancelling may cost you a little more than postponing. Every vendor is having some type of loss, materials, food, planning time, you name it. For us, Photographer Saturday’s are our prime dates, and this day of the week becomes our main income source. As you imagine, 2021 bookings are already taking place and although we are offering full support and perhaps most of us are also helping by waving date exchange fees. If you do decide to postpone, please work with us by choosing either a weekday or a Sunday.

Wedding Insurance, should you get one?

Have you purchased one already? if not perhaps is time to consider to do so. Talk to your planner or your insurance broker. So much time and effort go into planning the day so why not considering it?. There are two types of Wedding Insurance: Liability Coverage and Cancellation Coverage.

You can purchase both as a bundle but before buying wedding insurance always ask the venue if they cover event liability. Wedding event liability coverage may cover different things, for example, bodily injury and property damage. I am not sure what is been done these days with Corona Virus protection, but you should definitely ask the experts.

Are you having a Destination Wedding?

Is your wedding being planned in one of the countries with major outbreaks? Perhaps you should postpone the event or move it entirely to a completely new destination.

Pay attention to the spread and how maybe affecting those new possible areas. Have they gone clear or have they not been affected at all as of yet?

Consider Eloping or an Intimate Wedding day

Plan for a smaller guest count, if you are in the early stages of planning. Perhaps consider to ELOPE or have an INTIMATE WEDDING LIVESTREAM with just your closest family members and celebrate later on with friends, once this virus is under control. Remember the world has gone through a crisis like this, and yes right now everything seems so uncertain. Stay positive and have a plan in place.

Support Local

Perhaps you have planned for all the details and favours coming together yet everything is coming from an online store?. Well, it may be time to go pay a visit to local markets and craft store, check the locals websites to practice social distancing at is best, find and talk to local creatives on Instagram and support their small business that may be suffering big time right now.

Keep people in the loop

Avoid an ocean of emails, phone calls and questions from family members and friends. Inform your guests NOW by keeping your wedding website updated, send one email redirecting everyone to your web page, where you should acknowledge the outbreak and let everyone know how the date is being affected or not and that you will keep them in the loop should any of your plans change. Remember your guest have also invested in this date in one way or another.

Stay positive

At the end of it all, you should have an open and very honest conversation about your worries and anxieties with your loved ones and all of your vendors on this topic and learn what everyone is doing to keep not only you but themselves, their workers and your wedding party and guests safe.

Trust me, my livelihood depends on weddings, I do not take this lightly but I honestly think weddings should not be taking place. We should all be behaving as if we were the carriers of the virus, we must take care of each other. If you had Covid19, you would self isolate to protect your loved ones. So let’s do it together.

I hope these words may have brought you some insights on what to do next during your wedding planning process amid this pandemic. If you think I miss any important point, share it with me so I can add more valid information here for couples planning their day

Let me know your thoughts and if you are planning a wedding and have questions about photography, you can contact me here. I will be happy to answer them the best I can by email Or we can have a video chat too 🙂